Gamble

Under the flickering firelight, Tiffany's beautiful face glowed with a hazy allure.

Malone couldn't help but shift his gaze slightly, then asked in a low voice, "Would you like... some more smoked meat?"

"Mm..."

Tiffany responded softly.

Tiffany was indeed not full yet; she had been hungry for the entire day.

But that was not the only reason. The young girl knew there was no need to stand on ceremony with Mr. Malone; doing so would only make him feel like a stranger and would also cause him to worry about her physical condition.

Beyond that, Tiffany believed she should eat her fill—only then could she recover from her injuries as quickly as possible.

Furthermore, when Mr. Malone took her and fled, she needed enough stamina to ensure she would be as little of a burden to him as possible.

Malone handed the piece of freshly roasted smoked meat from his hand to Tiffany, who took it gently and continued to eat in small, delicate bites.

"Hex? What kind of thing is that? It sounds quite interesting."

Just as Malone turned around, he happened to hear Kaldara ask.

"Hex is..."

Malone carefully recalled his knowledge of this world.

The world of Azeroth possessed many magical wonders; for instance, the mages of Dalaran could turn other living creatures into sheep, while dragons could take on mortal forms without losing their power.

As one of the oldest races in this world, Trolls also possessed miraculous arts.

Those Troll witch doctors could concoct voodoo with immense lethality using herbs, and at the same time, through pacts with half-beast, half-god Loa spirits, Trolls could wield their power.

In Malone's memory, Zul'jin was an incredibly powerful existence; beyond his combat prowess, he could also utilize certain forms of witchcraft.

Malone explained his understanding of witchcraft to Kaldara, though he did not forget to add a concluding remark.

"Don't ask me how I know; I just know, believe it or not as you wish."

Malone used that sentence to wrap up his explanation.

However, it seemed that Kaldara actually believed him.

"Interesting... able to turn into a giant bear? Or an eagle? Interesting... I truly would like to see it for myself."

Yet, Malone's words seemed to have the opposite effect; all that came out of Kaldara's mouth were words of excitement.

"In short... sigh... in short, you just need to be careful."

Malone hadn't expected Kaldara to be so bellicose. Realizing he couldn't stop this guy at all, he could only sigh and give up.

"In any case, you don't need to worry, Maicomarlon. Perhaps next time, the thing I hack off will be Zul'jin's head."

Kaldara said with high spirits.

If this guy hadn't been fumbling about like a clumsy cook, trying to take that slightly charred piece of smoked meat off the longsword that was being used as a roasting rack, Malone might have actually thought he looked the part.

But as it stood...

Please don't. If that happens, you'd be better off dead...

Malone thought to himself.

Kill Zul'jin? How much of an impact would that have on the timeline of Azeroth? Perhaps the entire Horde would fracture, and then...

Wouldn't the Bronze Guardian Dragon Nozdormu finish Malone off in a heartbeat?

"Maicomarlon is right; you had better be careful and try not to act alone."

Teron Gorefiend said.

"Fine, since you both say so... I won't act alone."

Kaldara agreed.

This truly exceeded Malone's expectations—he hadn't thought this guy would agree so readily; it wasn't his personality at all.

Yet Kaldara was quite cooperative, and his next sentence made Malone realize that the person in front of him was still the same arrogant Blademaster.

"I won't act alone; I will be with you. That way, when I hack off Zul'jin's head, I can give you both a big surprise!"

Kaldara said without a shred of humility.

"Forget it, you'd better act alone. If you keep appearing by my side, you'll definitely scare Tiffany."

Malone expressed his stern refusal.

However, Teron Gorefiend had his own opinion: "That's not bad either. If Zul'jin comes to pick a fight with you, I will help you."

It was rare for Teron Gorefiend to say something so human, but Kaldara didn't appreciate the gesture at all.

"I don't want your help. When the time comes, just stand to the side and watch."

Kaldara said.

"Very well, then I shall collect your corpse."

Teron Gorefiend replied with a straight face.

"Do you have that little faith in me?"

Kaldara felt extremely dissatisfied.

"I trust Zul'jin more."

Teron Gorefiend said earnestly.

"Then I must defeat him right in front of you! I'll show you just how strong a Blademaster can be!"

Kaldara said indignantly, feeling as though he were being looked down upon.

Malone tasted the roasted meat in his hand while watching Teron Gorefiend and Kaldara bicker.

Behind Malone, the faint, rhythmic sound of Tiffany's breathing and the soft noise of her eating occasionally drifted over, forming a sharp contrast to the noisy atmosphere.

Teron Gorefiend remained indifferent, and the more indifferent he appeared, the angrier Kaldara became.

If...

A sudden thought occurred to Malone.

If he were not a transmigrator, but a native of Azeroth—a Shadow Council warlock killed by Orgrim and resurrected by Gul'dan as a Death Knight—perhaps...

Would a life like this be so bad?

If that were the case, he would follow Teron Gorefiend to attack the human kingdoms of the north without any psychological burden, only to suffer defeat and retreat back to the world of Draenor...

They would regroup, reopen the Dark Portal, and return to Azeroth; they would die together at the Black Temple...

He might have known Kaldara, or perhaps not, but either way, it wouldn't be a bad thing, because this guy was the type who seemed decent one moment and infuriatingly grating the next...

Of course, if that were the case, he would never have met Tiffany, would never have encountered this beautiful, kind, and brave human girl.

If being thrown into Azeroth and facing an unknown fate where he could vanish at any moment left Malone with even a shred of gratitude, it was certainly because of Tiffany.

Malone was no fool for romance, but he felt that a girl like Tiffany deserved a knight who would do everything in his power to protect her.

Malone was not a knight, but he was willing to play the part for a while.

"Hey, Maicomarlon, what do you say?"

Kaldara's voice pulled Malone back to reality once more.

"What?"

Malone asked, completely bewildered, having paid no attention to what Teron Gorefiend and Kaldara had just been saying.

"Teron and I made a bet. I think I can definitely defeat Zul'jin, and he thinks I can't... which side are you betting on?"

Kaldara said indignantly.